Linux versions: Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora and Mint

In short: Each major distribution has its own versioning scheme. Ubuntu names versions after year and month, Debian after a number and a Toy Story codename, Fedora consecutively, Linux Mint by major numbers.

In more detail: The details below show the scheme and important examples. Exact dates and the most recent version are on the project pages and keep changing.

In detail

• Ubuntu: YY.MM, for example 24.04 (April 2024). Every two years in April an LTS version: 20.04 Focal Fossa, 22.04 Jammy Jellyfish, 24.04 Noble Numbat, 26.04 Resolute Raccoon. Interim versions are supported for only about nine months.
• Debian: 10 Buster, 11 Bullseye, 12 Bookworm, 13 Trixie (2025), then Forky. Names come from Toy Story. Duration: about three years of full care plus two years of LTS, plus optional extended LTS.
• Fedora: consecutive number, a new one every half year (spring and autumn), for example 41, 42, 43. Each version is supported for about 13 months. Variants: Workstation (GNOME), KDE Plasma Edition, Server, Silverblue.
• Linux Mint: versions like 21.x (based on Ubuntu 22.04) and 22.x (based on Ubuntu 24.04), several point releases per base. Editions Cinnamon, MATE, Xfce. LMDE is based on Debian.
• Arch, Tumbleweed: no versions, only date snapshots.
• openSUSE Leap: fixed version (e.g. 15.x, then 16), Tumbleweed rolling.
• RHEL: major versions 8, 9, 10, up to ten years of support. Rocky and Alma follow the same numbers.
• How to find out: cat /etc/os-release, lsb_release -a.

See also: Release models: fixed, LTS and rolling, Linux distributions: family tree